In the beginning
by TeenageNeko
Summary: Insanity was in his blood, even at the beginning. The desire to cut, to dissect, never apeared or left, it was always there. From baby, to child, to teen, all he wanted was to cut and dissect.  And that never changed. Stein origin fic. Slighty AU.
1. Prologue

**_In the Beginning: Prologue _**

_Franken Stein was born at 3:33 in the morning on October 31__st__, 1978. His mother, Hiroko Stein, was calm and experienced no pain. The birth went smoothly. But, something about the child caught me as…unsettling. _

_Young Franken was average weight and height, fairly healthy, and quite a beautiful child, however, his odd behavior made me a bit frightened. He didn't cry the entire time. Not coming out, or getting cleaned up, or being held the first time...he was silent. But that's not what got me, what got me was the child's expression! The whole time he looked down at the blood on his body with a twisted smile on his face! His green-yellow eyes seemed to glint when the doctor's tools came in his view, as if he wanted them. _

_I can only be worried, I have no right to point a finger and say that the baby was mental. Who would even believe me? No one, that's who! It's unbelievable…I can hardly believe it myself… _

_May God be with Hiroko and Chou Stein. I fear their safety. _

_Sincerely,_

_Tatsurou Goto _

"Mommy," whined Franken. He grabbed a handful of her dress and began to pull.

"Calm down Franken." Hiroko picked the child up and carried him over to his bed. "Now listen up," she said as she tucked him in. "Me and daddy are going out. Be a good boy and stay here, don't, and I mean DON'T leave the house." _Babysitting… It's just so expensive._ Hiroko smiled. _Oh well,_ _I trust him. _

"Kay, mommy…" Franken's eyes wandered around the room, curiosity filled his gaze.

"Bye baby! Sweet dreams!" Hiroko followed Chou out of the front door. _I wonder…what was that feeling…?_

As soon as he heard the door close, Franken jumped out of bed. He made a mad-dash to the lightswich and flipped it on. _Phew, _he thought. _The darkness is gone._

Skittering sounded from the kitchen.

So, the curious boy stumbled to the noise, his blanket dragging behind him.

"Hey there," he said softly, his eyes locked on a mouse seated in the middle of the room. "I'm not gonna…" A smile crept up Franken's face. "Come little mouse," giggled the boy. He reached into the pocket of his nightshirt and pulled out a small knife, one very similar to tools used by doctors.

"Little mouse, come closer…"

"Yes, closer…"

"One more step…"

***SPLAT* **

"Good job."

_A/N: Reviews? For the first Stein origins story? _


	2. Chapter One

_**In the Beginning: Chapter One**_

Hiroko looked up Franken. The boy was pouting as he watched her clean the bloodstains off the floor.

"Franken," whispered Hiroko. "What exactully were you doing to that mouse?"

"Mommy…" Franken let out a sigh, as if he had been asked to explain the simplest thing in the world. "It's dissection. Cutting something open and looking at the insides." He looked down at his feet. "But…I did it wrong and killed the mouse…" A grin spread across the child's face, stretching up even higher as he thought about his experiment. "Hehe…Not that it matters! It was only one little mouse, nothing more! And it felt so good!"

Hiroko bit her lip and nodded. She couldn't deny it any longer. Franken needed help. This was the fifth time in the week that she had found a bloody, cut open mouse on her kitchen floor. And every time, Franken was the one responsible.

Franken went on about his little experiment, pride filling his voice. "I know much more about whats on the inside than the outside! I know kidneys, hearts, and lungs, but I don't know what this is!" He pointed to his upper-leg.

"The upper part of your leg is called a thigh," muttered Hiroko.

"So that's it…I didn't know." Franken yawned and picked his blanket off the floor. "Mommy, I'm going to bed…" He took one last look at the bloodstained floor and smiled. _Practices makes perfect_, he thought. _One day, I'll do it without a single flaw. _

"Okay…And Franken!"

Franken turned around.

"Tomorrow mommy's going to take you to see a special doctor, okay?"

"What are you planning on doing to me?" Franken asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"N-nothing, it's just a little check-up!"

"Fine," growled Franken. He trudged up the stairs, out of sight.

Hiroko mustered a small smile and waved to her child. "G-goodnight Franken-dear!" She received no answer. _Why God? This can't be normal!_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

When Franken awoke, he found a change of clothes sitting by his bed along with a note.

_A note? _Pondered Franken, _Doesn't she know I can hardly read?_ One look told him he'd need to concentrate.

"Okay. G-ge-et-t…drrrrreh…ssst! Get dressed. Okay, next part! B-b-breh…k-k-fa-ast in f-fiv…five min…oot…sss… Get dressed, breakfast in five minutes!"

Franken smiled, a real smile, and began to change into his clothes. _I'm_ _getting smarter every day!_ _Normally solving something like that would've taken me twice as long! This knowledge…where is it coming from? And this feeling… _Franken grinned the same psychotic grin he had done the night before. _The feeling…is getting stronger too!_ He shook the thoughts out of his head and rushed downstairs. Even if there was suspicion, Franken was excited about going to the doctors. He wondered if he'd see any of their tools… Oh their tools! If he did, they could easily be his. He was an expert at stealing. The tools would be gone in a matter of seconds, from right under the doctor's noses.

"FRANKEN! Hurry up! Your foods going to get cold!"

"I'm coming mommy!" Franken yelled back. He dashed out of his room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, just in time to see his mom place a warm bowl of oatmeal on the table. _Again? _Luckily, a peach slice had been added, so it was no longer just "oatmeal".

Hiroko smiled sweetly and walked over to him. She placed a finger over her lips and slowly dropped another peach slice into his bowl.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going to the doctor, aren't we? I think you deserve a little treat."

Franken looked down at his bowl and nodded. "I'm not going to disagree with that." He looked around. "Hey…where's daddy?"

"Work," Hiroko replied bluntly. Her husband was always working or out with friends. A date was rare, and the one they had just gone on had been ruined by Franken's experiment. Well, not ruined, but yeah… Hiroko sighed. _Men._

"Oh," said Franken. He looked down into his lap. _Dads always at work, doesn't he care about mommy? _Franken sighed out loud and pushed his bowl away. "Mom, I'm not hungry."

"Alright, but don't come crying to me when you're hungry later," Hiroko said with a shrug.

"Me? Cry? Nope."

"Are you sure?" Hiroko asked cheekily, enjoying the rare opportunity to tease her son.

"Positive," Franken insisted, a serious look on his face.

"Very well," Hiroko said with a laugh. She smiled, moments like that were rare. Most of the time, Franken behaved like a mini adult, or, sometimes, a mini teenager. Hiroko had a hard time believing that he was only seven… That's why the moments where Franken acted like a real child, a real seven year-old, were precious. The boy had many sides.

"Mother," Franken said sheepishly.

Hiroko frowned. Franken rarely used the term "mother". He normally referred to her as "mom" or "mommy".

"I was wondering…does the fact that daddy is always gone make you…hm, upset?"

Hiroko froze. That was the side she hated. The side of him that saw through her, the side that crackled insanely, the side that went beyond human, the side that was…absolutely mad.

"Uh…I, uh, love your father very much…Franken dear," Hiroko stuttered.

"I see," muttered Franken, his disappointed tone thrown off with the huge grin on his face. He looked at his mother with a cat-like smile and narrowed eyes. "So… Shouldn't we be going?"

"Ah, yes." Hiroko grabbed her and Franken's coats off the table and walked over to the front door. She nearly screamed when a small, cold hand poked her side. Standing behind her, was Franken, the boy was looking down at his feet and holding a hand out. Hiroko didn't need to see his face to know that he was cracking up. With a sigh, she took his extended hand and led him out the front door.

If she didn't get her money's worth on the doctor, someone would most defiantly die.

_A/N: Are you proud of me? I sure hope so. This chapter was uber fun to write, I really do enjoy writing about Stein-sama. A special thanks goes out to the people who reviewed, that includes: MakenshiCrona, girltechcoyote, and hiddenlotuselee. I love you guys. Tune in next time and you'll get to read about little Franken's trip to the special doctor. _


	3. Chapter Two

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Two **_

"We're here," sang Hiroko, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Franken ignored her, the last thing he wanted to do was play along.

"Alright," said Hiroko," I scheduled our appointment for ten thirty…and its ten twenty-six, we're right on time." She looked down at Franken and smiled. _Please act like a normal boy! _Hiroko pleaded mentally.

Franken squinted. "Wait a minute…this is a different doctor's office! We've never been here!" He eyed his mother suspiciously.

Hiroko chuckled nervously and held the door open as Franken marched inside. _This isn't going well… _She seated herself by her son and waited for their names to be called. Several minutes passed…

"**Hiroko and Franken Stein, the doctor will see you now."**

"The doctor?" Franken said with a grim expression. "That makes him sound like someone from a horror movie."

"Be nice Franken!" Hiroko said sharply, while giving him a stern look. She was the mother. She had to take control. He was just a kid, nothing more. And she…was the adult. She was the… A large pair of boobs came out of nowhere and was shoved into her face.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" The "pair of boobs" belonged to a young nurse with red hair and freckles.

"It's…alright," Hiroko said while little stars and planets floated around her head.

The redhead nurse thrust her hand out and gave a nod. "I am nurse Vem, here at your service. You must be Hiroko Stein and the little fella' looking at us all disgusted must be Franken Stein. Franken Stein. Franken…Stein… Frankenstein." Vem looked at Hiroko with a frown. "Was that intended?"

"Uh, no, where's the doctor?"

"Right this way!" bellowed Vem.

Hiroko grabbed Franken's hand and followed the spastic nurse to a room in the back. She remembered visiting the doctor as a child. Her parent's divorce had left her quite shaken; a trip to Dr. Kanso was all she needed to get back onto her feet. Maybe the doctor could help Franken with whatever he struggled with.

"Hiroko, is that you?"

Hiroko looked up and saw the doctor.

"So it is! You haven't changed a bit!"

"I could say the same," Hiroko said with a smirk. "But I won't, you've gotten old."

Dr. Kanso nodded and looked at Franken. "Now, now, is this the one?"

"Yes."

"Good! Now why don't you two sit down and I'll get us some drinks!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kanso's eyes wandered up-and-down Franken's form. The boy, without a doubt, was going to be his most interesting patient yet! He cleared his throat and brought a warm smile to his face. "Alright, Hiroko, can you tell me about your son?"

"Yes." Hiroko looked down at Franken, making sure that he was asleep. "Franken is my only child, he was born at Three thirty-three in the morning…"

"Three thirty-three?" Interrupted Kanso. "That's interesting…"

"How so?" asked Hiroko, her wide eyes full of interest.

"The number and time, three thirty-three, is well known for its involvement with supernatural and paranormal encounters." Defiantly the most interesting.

"Wow," breather Hiroko. "I never knew that…"

"And I recall that the child was born on October 31st…Halloween… Is that true?"

"Yes, but that means nothing…right?"

"Halloween," sighed Kanso, "the night of monsters and demons and creatures and terrible things…" Now he knew for sure. The boy had abnormal written all over him; he was going to make an interesting specimen.

"Are you saying that the date can affect a child's personality?"

"Maybe so…" sighed Kanso. _Yes… Just by looking at the child I can tell that his date of birth wasn't a coincident. It's in him…the madness…_ A grin spread across his face. _Just…like…me! _

"Dr. Kanso, are you feeling alright?" Hiroko's voice was full of concern.

"He-he…absolutely giddy!" _No… Not now! Now while Hiroko's here! _After a long stream of laughing, Kanso found his voice. "H-Hiroko! Leave! AHAHA! Leave, c-come back- AH! HAHA! L-later! Come back later!"

Without a word, Hiroko scooped Franken up and left the laughing doctor.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Franken looked around. _Where am I?_

Everything around him was black. He saw nothing except the darkness. He could hear this…distant laughter, he could feel the ground beneath him and the walls around him, and he could smell…blood, fresh blood, but he couldn't see it.

_Where am I? _Franken felt all comfort leave him. _WHERE AM I! _Childish thoughts filled his head and heart. _Mommy? Where's mommy? I want my mommy!_ _MOMMY!_

"_Hey."_

Franken looked around. _Who are you? I can't see you…but I can hear you… Was that you laughing a second ago?_

"_Yup, that was me."_

Franken blinked. The voice sounded familiar. It hit him. _Are you…Dr. Kanso by any chance?_

"_Oh, yeah. That's me."_

Franken gasped. _How can you be so calm about this? Where are we? Where is…mommy_! His last words were filled with fear.

"_It's alright. Your mother isn't here. She, along everyone else, is perfectly safe. It's just us."_

_Just…us? Why are we here? _

"_That's simple. It's the madness."_

_M-madness? _Franken gulped. _What in…the…?_ His eyes widened. _Heh…heh…hehe…_

Kanso sighed. _"It really is a shame, you're so young."_

Franken couldn't stop laughing. The whole situation was just so…funny. No. It was hilarious! He threw his head back and shrieked. His insane laughter grew, along with the smile on his face. The blood! The crazy doctor! The darkness! Everything was absolutely hilarious! _"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Kanso began to snicker. As they say, laughter is contagious. Soon, his snicker turned into a chuckle…then a laugh…then he was shrieking. _"AHA! The madness! Can you feel it!"_

"_I feel it! You feel it too!"_

"_I do!" _yelled Kanso.

Franken's laughter grew as sight returned to him. To his dismay, no… to his delight, he and Kanso were standing in a room together, surrounded by dead bodies. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the walls, smeared on the floor, gushing from the bodies. And to make things better, Franken knew how they had died. In the middle of his laughing, Franken turned a corpse over with his foot and looked at its open torso. The people had been dissected, and then discarded.

Franken looked at Kanso. The doctor was psyched.

With one finale look around the room, Franken threw his head back and let out the loudest laugh let. Absolutely hilarious.

_A/N: Well...that defiantly wasn't a typical trip to the doctors. The next chapter will explain everything, and shed some light on little Franken. In the anime, Stein talks about how he was studied by doctors and disgusted by kids being unoriginal...don't think I didn't know! I just haven't entered little Franken into Kindergarten yet! Why? The answer will be revealed... Also, I'd like to thanks my wonderful reviewers: girltechcoyote, MakenshiCrona, and hiddenlotuslee! I love you guys! Btw, uber early update :3_


	4. Chapter Three

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Three**_

_What the…? What happened?_ Franken sat up and began to rub his sore head. _Wait…_ Franken looked around. _I don't… Where did all the blood go? Where's Dr. Kanso? What just happened anyway? _

"Franken!"

Franken scowled as Hiroko wrapped her arms around him.

"You know," muttered Hiroko, "doctors are crazy."

Franken bit his lip. The mental image of Dr. Kanso laughing insanely in that weird room full of dead bodies was stuck in his mind. But of course, the doctor hadn't been the only one laughing.

"Franken," breathed Hiroko. She tightened her grip and closed her eyes. "The world is cruel to those who know its secrets."

"Yeah…" Franken's voice trailed off, bile rose in his throat. With a gasp, he ripped out of his mother's hold and vomited on the floor. _Dead bodies…everywhere… Blood just gushing out continuously… _Franken backed away from the mess. His stomach flip-flopped, and he let out another stream of vomit.

"Mother," Franken said weakly, looking up at the shocked woman. "I think I might be sick…" _No, not again!_

The nurse from before, Vem, shoved a bowl under Franken's mouth right on time.

"Franken," whispered Hiroko, her eyes growing wide.

_Dead bodies everywhere… Each one dissected perfectly… _Franken pushed the bowl away and wiped his mouth. "Mommy…there where…" Franken looked at her with fear written all over his face, "…dead bodies…everywhere!"

With that, Franken fell to the ground, fully conscious, but too afraid to move.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Vem frowned as she looked down at the boy known as Franken. He was losing it a lot quicker than she and Kanso had thought. Not good. She and Kanso had guessed that the madness wouldn't start surfacing until puberty. They were wrong. Only seven years old, and Franken had fallen into the dark. There was no saving him. The madness would eat away at him until he was pushed into perfect insanity. Vem sighed and thought of her doctor, and adoptive father, Kanso. He was getting closer and closer to perfect insanity every day. The attack he suffered from while talking to Hiroko was probably caused by Franken's young and bubbling madness.

It was ironic, really. Franken's madness being pushed to the surface while Kanso had an insanity attack; it was like some kind of twisted mentor-and-apprentice relationship, but not. Would mentor push his apprentice into the dark? Would an apprentice just…follow along? In this case, yes. Oh what a twisted relationship it was…

Vem looked at Hiroko. The mom looked like she was about to cry or something, but wouldn't let herself. _I admire her,_ thought Vem. _Her courage is big, but not big enough. It will be crushed under the madness's force. Then again, I'd be crying if I had been in her place. The things I had to tell her were absolutely horrible. I feel sorry for her as well. _

_**Flashback**_

_Hiroko fled the room, Franken held tightly in her arms. She rounded a corner, and to her dismay, she felt his body go limp. _

"_No, no!" gasped Hiroko. She stopped and leaned Franken's body against a wall. With a gasp, she struck his cheek, trying to bring him to consciousness. "Franken, wake up!" _

_After striking him several times, Hiroko gave up. She leaned up against the wall next to Franken. "No… Whats going on…? Why is…?" Hiroko closed her eyes and sighed. Nothing made sense at the moment. _

"_I can help you, Hiroko Stein," came the soft voice of a woman. _

"_Who are you?" whispered Hiroko. She reached over and placed a hand over Franken. "If you want Franken, you'll have to fight…" Hiroko's hands flew up and grabbed the hair on her head tightly. "My head…" Hiroko groaned._

_The other voice spoke again, "You seem a bit paranoid."_

"_No… I'm fine…just confused."_

"_Confused?" laughed the voice. _

"_Yes…" Hiroko hung her headin shame. _

"_No! Don't be ashamed!" cried the voice. "It's like you said, you're only confused! But don't worry, I'll tell you everything!"_

"_Alright," agreed Hiroko. "But, you must tell me your name."_

"_Don't you already know?" the voice asked innocently. "You saw me today."_

"_I did…?" Hiroko frowned. "Who are you…?"_

_Vem, the nurse from earlier stepped out of the shadows and curtsied._

"_Oh, Vem…" Hiroko smiled weakly. "Can you really tell me? Would Dr. Kanso allow it?"_

"_He probably won't like it, but you have a right to know!" exclaimed Vem. _

"_Thank you…"_

"_No problem," smiled Vem. She offered her hand to Hiroko, and smiled even larger when Hiroko accepted it. "I'll tell you everything…"_

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

"_Alright," Hiroko said with a nod. "I'm ready."_

"_Kay…" Vem looked at Franken, who was resting in Hiroko's lap. Vem shook her head and turned her focus on Hiroko. "We'll start with Dr. Kanso."_

_Hiroko simply nodded and motioned for her to start. _

"_I started working here five years after I was adopted by Dr. Kanso; he was kind, collected, and always willing to help others. When I was a child, I had a bad leg, which caused my parents to abandon me. Dr. Kanso took when in when he discovered me wondering the streets." _

"_How sweet," hummed Hiroko. _

"_Not for long," sighed Vem, the look in her eyes went from youthful and spunky to tired and a bit wise. "It was then when I realized that Dr. Kanso was victim of a rare cause, a case of heightened madness."_

_Hiroko blinked. "M-madness…?" The images of her laughing, insane son filled her head. _

"_Yes," nodded Vem. With another sigh, she continued, "I first noticed when he flat-out refused to take care of a certain patient. The patient required surgery and being a doctor, Kanso should have grabbed it proudly, as a chance to show off his skills. But instead… he called a larger hospital and had __**them **__pick the patient up, so __**their **__doctors could take care of the patient." Vem bowed her head. "Later we learned the surgery was a failure, they lost the patient's life."_

_Hiroko nodded sadly. _

"_And that's where it started," Vem said with a gleam in her eyes. "I questioned Kanso about it, I said: 'Why did you throw that chance away? You finally had a chance to show your skill level to the public!' Kanso looked up at me and… God, I'll never forget those eyes he looked at me with…"_

"_Why?" asked Hiroko. "What was wrong with them?"_

"_The eyes were inhuman, with a shrunken Iris and an even smaller pupil. They were filled with insanity; only a smidge of humanity remained, most likely fighting the madness. Kanso was under an attack." Vem closed her own eyes. "He stayed like that for a whole hour, just sitting on the ground, looking at me with those eyes… He was huffing and breathing heavily, as if fighting the madness was tiring… Oh those eyes… Those eyes…"_

_Hiroko interrupted the frightened Vem, "Miss Vem, you mentioned this… madness a lot. Just what is it?"_

"_Oh…" Vem wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. "The madness is…in all of us, but only some of us posess it on such a high level, Kanso included." _

_Hiroko nodded. "I think I'm beginning to understand…"_

"_Madness exists in levels. There are six. When a child is born, it is one half. When a child grows in a preteen, they are still one half. But when they go into puberty, the madness rises to one, sometimes one and one third. The increased madness causes violent mood-swings, sensitivity, and suicidal thoughts. When they start heading for adulthood, the effects become worse, then finally smooth out when the madness goes up to two. The level normally stays a two, but during a crisis, the madness might rise to two and one half, but that's rare." _

_Vem continued, "Currently, I'm still on one. From my guessing, you, miss Hiroko, are a one and one half. Kanso has risen to a four over his days. And Franken…"_

_Both Hiroko and Vem froze and bit their lip._

"…_Franken is a two and…two thirds."_

_There was a silence, filling the room and seeping through the walls. Drilling deep into the two woman's souls, and singing to their inner pleasures. The silence splattered like blood on a wall when Franken suddenly started laughing. _

_Hiroko almost dropped Franken on the floor when his laughing fit began. Her eyes will filled with fear and shock, but mostly fear. Now she knew…she knew why he was the way he was. She knew! Hiroko's eyes began to water. "Franken…"_

_Vem walked over to Hiroko and pulled her into a hug. "Sh… It'll only last a few minutes…then he'll be fine, he won't even remember. Everything will be okay."_

_Hiroko buried her face into Vem's shirt, crying like there was no tomorrow. She was letting it all out, everything. The pain she carried for loving her son, the son who showed no love back. For loving a man who was never home, a man who probably had no feelings for her. Hiroko let everything out. _

_After a while, Franken's high laughs began to die down, a while after that they died down completely. _

_Hiroko looked up at Vem's smiling face, then to her still son, Franken. _

"_You know," whispered Vem. "You aren't alone. You want to be loved; you require words of encouragement and affection, that is your love-language. You also want to be comforted. But, there is nothing you need to be comforted about."_

"_But… Franken and Chou…"_

"_Sh…" Vem chuckled. "Franken, despite his stony, adult-like personality, loves you. I could see it in his eyes when you walked in, and I can see it now. He is your son, no matter what."_

"_Yeah…" Hiroko wiped her eyes and slowly inched out of Vem's hug. "I need…to protect him. And I need to be strong."_

_Franken began to wake up, his small body trembling. _

"_I will protect him…"_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Franken slowly woke up, rubbing his head and shivering. He opened his eyes and saw his mother, Hiroko, smiling down on him. _

"_Franken!"_

_Hiroko drew him into a hug and chuckled. _

"_You know… doctors sure are crazy…"_

_**End Flashback**_

_That woman…is filled with courage. _Vem grinned, and looked at Hiroko. The other woman was cleaning her son off and sporting a weak smile. _Just being stung, strong like a lion. _Vem laughed, the noise was soft and a bit high-pitched, but not insane, it was just…unique.

"Uh, we should get going."

"Hm…?" hummed Vem.

"We should get going," said Hiroko. She had stripped Franken of his pants and shirt, and wrapped him in a towel.

"A-alright…" Vem gave Hiroko a mock-salute. "Captain. Stay strong."

Hiroko nodded and reached for her purse.

Vem swatted Hiroko's hand away, sending a crisp twenty to the ground. "Hehe, how clumsy of me! Why don't you pick it up and put it back in your purse? Ahehe!" Vem's smile grew gentler. "Really, it's on me, for your trouble."

Hiroko nodded and smiled back. "Thanks… Um, goodbye…

***SLAM***

Vem stared at the closed door. _Be strong… Be strong…_

Dr. Kanso stumbled into the room. The madness was almost completely drained from his eyes. "Eh, are they alright?" asked the doctor.

"Yeah…" Vem nodded. "They'll be fine. But I have a feeling they'll be back."

"I recall you saying that the last time," smirked Kanso. He plopped onto the ground and leaned up against a wall. "Dang… I haven't felt something like that for a long time…"

"Kanso."

Kanso looked up slowly, dreading what he was about to hear.

"Kanso," repeated Vem. "You are…a five.

"Heh… So be it Vem, so be it."

_A/N: Well, that was a late update! I was really busy, I started school, had a birthday, and sooooo on! Well yeah, I hope this answered some questions! It was fun to write! We'll be seeing Dr. kanso and Vem in later chapters, but they're done for this arc. The next will be Franken and Hiroko going home, and taliking about school :) Then it will get violent again. Thanks to my reviewers: FuryanDemoness19, sailor sofia, MakenshiCrona, and hiddenlotuslee :D Do review and make me happy!_


	5. Chapter Four

_**In the beginning: Chapter Four **_

_Thump, thump, thump. _

Franken reached up and groaned.

_Thump, thump, thump. _

His small pale hand rubbed his head tenderly as he sighed heavily. It was over. No longer did he feel afraid. Instead he felt…renewed. Not that he enjoyed the experience, but it had been enlightening. He thought back to the way the corpses were cut open. To think the way he had been dissecting was wrong for so many years… The thought was almost depressing.

"Franken?"

"Hm…?" Franken looked up at Hiroko. The woman had a complex expression on her face—far too complex for him to read. _Darn… _

"A-are you feeling any better?" Hiroko quickly looked over and gripped the steering wheel. "We had quite a time, didn't we?" She let out a dry laugh and wiped one of her eyes.

"I guess so," whispered Franken. There were certain parts of their trip he was trying to push out of his mind, such as…

"_That's simple. It's the madness."_

_"It really is a shame, you're so young."_

_"AHA! The madness! Can you feel it!"_

Franken bit his lip and closed his eyes. Stupid doctor… Stupid madness… Stupid, stupid madness… Stupid everything, stupid world. He growled quietly and heaved himself up from his lying-down position. Trees and buildings flew by as he gazed out the window, green eyes drooping slightly.

Stupid sleep.

Stupid human body.

Stupid human body, needing so much sleep when there were more important things to watch. The back of his eyelids were so dull…

_Yaaaawwwnnnn. _

Franken closed his eyes completely and growled again. Stupid limits. Stupid deadlines. Stupid, stupid madness. He leaned against the door and sighed deeply. Stupid… Stupid… Feelings.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"We're home," called Hiroko, shutting the front door.

"Aha, how'd it go?" Before Hiroko stood Chou, the man who was always working, and only had half of her trust.

"N-not that great," Hiroko admitted sourly. Sticking her lip out, she pouted quietly. While she and Franken had been going through hell, her husband had been napping, in their safe and sound home. _Ugh, lazy pig. Stupid pig… Stupid love… Stupid feelings…_

She shook her head wearily and looked up at Chou with sad eyes. "H-honey, we need to talk a bit. Do you have time?" _Please! For once, it's your own son for cripes sake!_

"Of course Hiro-girl, what is it?" He grinned far too happily for the normal Chou.

Hiroko flinched at the sound of her high school nickname. Hiro-girl… She scowled after thinking for a minute. "Okay, spill it Chou. Why are you in such a good mood?" He wasn't normally that cheerful.

"Hiroko," Chou said excitedly. "We're moving up a class! No longer are we middleclass! Hiro-girl, I've been promoted!"

"G-good job," Hiroko said slowly, feeling sort of jealous. She worked as a clerk for a local supermarket and Chou was a high-class business man. He had her beat. But that couldn't be all. The dreamy look in his eyes… The content sighs…

"You were out drinking last night, weren't you?"

"W-what?"

Hiroko narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. "You heard me, you were out drinking." She leaned forward and sniffed him. "Ugh, I can still smell it on you. Just how much did you even have?"

Chou looked down at his feet.

At first Hiroko thought it was shame, but then…

**SLAP!**

Hiroko's eyes widened as Chou pulled his hand back. He had slapped her. That was physical abuse. Freaking abuser. "Ch-Chou you…" She bit her trembling lip and gasped.

"Don't tell me what to do," whispered Chou. His dark bangs hung down in front of his face, giving him an eerie appearance. "Stupid woman… Stupid, stupid woman… Why the frig should you care about the way I live my life!" He ended his statement with a glare, drilling deep inside of Hiroko's heart.

"Your life?" Hiroko growled. "I'm cutting into your life?" She balled her fists up and threw her head back. "You think I'm cutting into your life! Do you even know whats going on in mine!" Hiroko's pupils shrunk slightly as her chest heaved from adrenaline.

"I'm going out," Chou said simply. And with that statement, he turned around and left. "Stupid life. Stupid woman. Stupid, stupid woman…"

Hiroko sunk to her knees and let out a cry. "STUPID SELFISH PIG!" She began to sob, shoulders shaking violently and teeth chattering. "STUPID PIG! STUPID LOVE!" She clutched the fabric covering the area where her heart was. "Stupid love… Stupid heart… STUPID FEELINGS!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Franken had been watching the fight. So there he was, curled up behind the couch and sobbing like a baby. He was crying. Freaking crying. Stupid tears. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and sucked. Stupid human emotions, holding him back.

"M-mommy…"

Franken stopped sucking and opened his eyes as wide as they would go. Stupid Chou. Stupid selfish pig. Stupid human man. Franken stood up and walked over to his balling mother.

"Hiroko," Franken said coldly, eyes half-shut and mouth half open. "Hiroko… mother, look at me right now."

The woman obeyed quietly. Her large blue eyes showed fear, sadness, and anger…and hatred. For once, reading her was as easy as blinking. A smile spread across his face. "Dear mother…" Franken looked at her with large cat-eyes and a sly smile. "I can assure you that father will never ever hurt you again… That is a promise." He spread his arms wide and chuckled.

Hiroko melted into her son's arms, crying bitterly. The held-back feelings were being released by tears. Stupid tears… Stupid crying…

Franken patted his mothers back gently. "Mother, don't cry… Don't cry…"

Stupid feelings.

_A/N: and you thought it'd be a drama-free chapter, hurr hurr! Tough luck. Sorry about the uber late update! My laptop's screen sort of broke and I'm just now getting back on! well, here's to fanfiction! *cheers* And to my amazing reviewers! *cheers again* Thanks to: sunniva, luffysqueen25, MakenshiCrona, and hiddenlotuselee!~Love, TeenageNeko_


	6. Chapter Five

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Five**_

"Alright," Hiroko sniffed, dropping a folder in front of her son. "Doctor Kanso suggested letting you attend a public school for a few days to, you know, socialize with kids your age." She looked at Franken and smiled sadly. "You have to go, but I will let you pick the school."

Franken blinked and stared at Hiroko in an annoyed way. "I know Vem told you," he scoffed. "That Kanso was in no condition to talk, and besides, he was with me most of the time."

Hiroko's eyes widened. "He was with you…?"

"Never mind, just what schools are there to go to?" Franken asked impatiently.

"Well, um, first we have…" Hiroko flipped the folder open and began to read carefully. "…Oak Leaf, which is a thirty minutes drive from here. We'd start you in first grade, so the kids would be your age, and they have an after-school reading program to help you with your reading. Tuesdays and Thursdays have art class and the other days have free time." She finished with a nod and looked at Franken for approval.

Franken sighed, thinking deeply. "Well," he said slowly. "That sounds nice, but I don't like drawing… and what would I do during this free time?"

"Make friends?" suggested Hiroko, grinning brightly.

"Well, what for? They'd just follow me around and act all clingy. I'm fine without friends…" Franken looked out a nearby window and pouted. "So quit asking and just read the next school!"

Hiroko nodded, turning the page. She cleared her throat and went on. "Next we have Little Mind Academy, which has been running for ten years. Their schedule is pretty much the same except that the special class—like art or PE—is optional, so basically you can chose what class you want for that hour. Free time is outside in the summer and inside in the winter and when it's raining, and also, students can buy lunch on Fridays."

Franken perked. "Academy, right? That sounds pretty smart. And I like that you can chose your class rather than bound to one that _they_ chose." He closed his eyes and smirked. "That doesn't sound too bad, maybe that one?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Hiroko, pumping her fist. "And the schedule fits us perfectly!" She calmed down. "I'd take you there at ten in the morning and you'd come back at two. I'd pack your lunch and you could buy on Fridays. Now for the classes…"

Franken motioned her on.

"There are PE, Art, Reading, and Music," read Hiroko, smiling the whole time.

Franken groaned. "No science? Ugh… Then how about reading, that's better than messy art or noisy music…" He stood up and pushed his chair back under the table. "I'm done here, please come get me for dinner." He turned around and started up the stairs. "And I'll be in my room!"

"A-alright Franken-dear," whispered Hiroko, feeling slightly sad. Just when she felt connected to him like a normal mom and son would, the bond was severed and he left the room without a second glance. Hiroko stood up and walked over to the cupboard, pulling out a large pot. "Well," she muttered. "I guess I'll start dinner since there's nothing else to do."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Franken slammed his door shut and gasped for air. After catching his breath, he flopped down on his stomach and crawled over to his bed. Reaching under, he pulled out a small white container. He smiled and shook it gently. The contents rattled inside, their sound pleasing to his pink-tipped ears.

"Okay, let's see…" He opened the container and dumped the contents on the floor. He sorted through the small pile and pulled out an empty syringe then a needle. After staring at it for a few minutes, he dug his hand into the pile and pulled out a small knife and set it next to the syringe and needle. "There we go, it's all here."

Franken wiped his brow and pushed his glasses up, smirking psychotically. The syringe, needle, and knife were for his father. His plan was to catch the man with syringe and needle, and threaten to give him the shot without even telling him the content. But just in case he was overpowered—which was quite possible, considering his size—he was also taking the small knife as backup.

Now, about the syringe… Franken opened it carefully and frowned. He had nothing to put in it. What to fill it with had never crossed his mind when he stole it, at the time he had been absorbed in taking the syringe. He slumped back, almost giving up. _No,_ he thought unhappily, eyebrows knotting together. I _can't give up, not yet… I… I want to rip that pig apart… I want to di- _Franken cut himself off and shook his head. _No, I only want to protect Hiro- I mean, I only want to protect mom by diss- warding off that pig… _

_**"It really is a shame, you're so young."**_

Franken pulled on his hair and moaned. What had Kanso been talking about? And what did it have to do with him? And what was that thing…?

**"**_**That's simple. It's the madness."**_

Right, the freakin' madness. Franken sighed, releasing the grip on his hair. The madness… It was not right… But not matter how un-right it was, it lived inside of him, feeding on his life and burning with a bright, glowing flame. The flame wanted to consume him by picking his bones dry of humanity. It thought like Franken, and reasoned just like him as well… that's why the urge to dissect was so strong.

_It's for science, the dissection is. It doesn't as long as you do it properly._ That's what he told himself for the longest time, but now after seeing how he could turn out if it went on for longer… No. It was nothing. Franken began to clean his mess up and crackling shortly, pupils shrinking and growing in an unsteadily beat. Everything was fine, he was fine and his life was fine and he was completely normal, a normal boy with a normal life and family and… And… No.

Franken shoved the box under his bed and collapsed on the floor. He couldn't take it. It had been so long since he had dissected something. It almost…hurt.

"Just what is this madness?" Franken asked himself blankly, eyes closing slowly. "Just what is sanity and what is dissection…?" He rolled over onto his side and brought his fists up to his face, murmuring softly. What was it all?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Franken! Franken!" Hiroko stopped yelling, eyes narrowing. She threw her head back and yelled louder. "FRANKEN STEIN! DINNER IS READY, SO COME DOWN!" Still she got no answer. "Ugh…" She scaled the stairs and dashed through the hallway, finally ending up at Franken's door.

She pushed the cracked-door open slowly, eyes looking around, trying to spot a mob of gray hair. "Franken…" She walked in and frowned. Sitting on the bed and sighing, she whispered: "Franken, this isn't funny." Then she heard a snore.

"What the heck…?" Hiroko rolled off of the bed and gasped. Lying asleep next to her—on the floor—was her son, looking more innocent than ever. Hiroko lifted the boy up and set him down in the bed, smiling in a tenderly, motherly way. "Alright then, I'll just heat you up something later."

She left the room without a sound, flipping the slights on her way out and straightening the curtains.

_Sleep tight_, she thought, the images of the blood-crazed Franken being replaced with the clam, gentle, sleeping one. If only it could last forever.

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait! And thanks for all the support! The last few reviews were especially nice :) And, I think I might be getting somewhere here. The action and blud will be coming in soon, so don't despair! And please take a look at my Eyeshield 21 fanfics! *is a Hiruma addict* What can I say? Soul Eater and Eyeshield 21, FTW!~Love, TeenageNeko. _


	7. Chapter Six

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Six**_

Franken sighed, eyes traveling down to his new polished black shoes which had been bought just for school. He then looked back at his mother, who was smiling lightly and wearing her best coat to cover-up her messy shirt and skirt. He could hear the distant laugh of other children coming from the rooms they passed, each sound ringing in his ears.

"Franken, are you excited?" Hiroko asked suddenly, gazing at him gently.

"I guess," he said slowly, trying to avoid making eye-contact with her. "I guess I am…a little bit…maybe." He huffed. As if he were excited to spend a whole day with babies way under his intelligence level. Freaking as if.

Hiroko nodded and reached down for Franken's hand. "We want to make a good impression," she said quietly. "This means that you have to be on your best behavior…and please don't pull any stunts!"

Franken took her hand but said nothing, for he felt embarrassed. His mother's hand was soft and warm, just like it was supposed to be, but his was cold and stiff. He sighed, eyes closing briefly. Today wasn't going to go well.

"Alright, here we go." Hiroko opened the door to the Principle's room and led her son in carefully. She gave a quick bow in the smiling Principle's direction and sat down with her son.

"You must be Hiroko Stein," the Principle said pleasantly. "And that must be your son, Franken Stein." She stood up from her desk and walked over to them, kneeling down and shaking Hiroko's hand. "It's my pleasure to meet you. I looked at Stein's papers this morning and he seems like an enchanting young lad. I do look forward to setting him up in a classroom."

Hiroko let out a breath of relive. "Thank-you, I really am grateful that you'd let my son join in the middle of the year. Something came up and my husband and I thought it'd be best for him to get some social time." She looked down at the bored Franken and laughed nervously. "Aren't you excited, Franken dear?"

Franken nodded, kicking his feet and yawning. He had no intention of looking excited or happy. His own mother was sticking him in a room of dumb strangers. Some love.

Hiroko let out another embarrassed laugh and looked at the principle. "I really am sorry! He's shy about stuff like this!"

"No, no, I understand everything Mrs. Stein!" The teacher stood up and walked back over to her desk, sitting down pleasantly. "We get kids like him all the time! In fact, I think he'll fit right in!"

Hiroko gasped, eyes shining hopefully and happily. "You really mean it, miss?" She looked down at Franken and grinned excited, feeling like her son was finally going to feel normal. "That's wonderful! I really can't describe how happy we are!"

Franken nodded and closed his eyes, slouching down. He really was beginning to get bored. All that was going on was the two women exclaiming over things that hardly mattered. _Boring…_ "WHOA!" The loud and hearty laugh of the principle shocked him right off of his seat.

The principle placed a dainty hand over her mouth and chuckled silently, looking a bit embarrassed for her booming manly laugher. "Ahaha… Dear Franken, why don't I call someone in here for you to play with? I could see why it would get boring with you having to listen to two old ladies like us!"

Franken merely blinked and slowly crawled back onto his seat. After some thinking he nodded, deciding that anything was better than listening to his mother's ranting.

"Marie~! Please come here!"

A blond girl skipped into the room, humming happily. She had bright gold eyes and a black and yellow dress. She stopped skipping and turned to face Franken. After a minute of staring she smiled and said: "Wow, you have weird hair!"

"MARIE!" The principle walked over to Marie and began to tug on one of her pigtails. "What did I tell you about behaving like a proper young lady?" She sighed and shooed the girl over to a chair. "I apologize for young Marie's behavior. She's my daughter's daughter, but she takes more after my step-son—her father!" The principle let out another booming laugh, this time surprising Hiroko, Franken, and the newly introduced Marie. "Oh, pardon me! Ahaha!"

Hiroko nodded slowly and looked over at Marie with a small smile. "Um, hello dear, my name is Hiroko Stein and this is my son, Franken Stein. We're both extremely pleased to meet you!"

Marie nodded and continued to stare at Franken's gray hair. "How old are you? I'm six and my name is Marie Mjolnir, oh! Are you six too?"

"I'm seven," Franken said sharply, eyes narrowing. He stood up and walked over the girl and sat down. "Your grandma is weird."

"Franken!" gasped Hiroko, shocked by her son's rude behavior.

"Yeah," agreed Marie. "Are your name is weird too…just like your hair."

"You have weird eyes," Franken chipped in. "And your name is pretty weird too."

"But not as weird as yours."

"Whatever you say."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Franken sighed as he looked over at the prancing Marie. Their mothers had shooed them out of the room thus leaving him stuck with the happy go-lucky girl. _Ugh,_ he thought. _If I have to hear The Itsy Bitsy Spider one more time I'm going to go insane!_ With a growl, he looked in the opposite direction and sat down on the floor. Marie continued to sing and prance around the hallway while moving her hands in a way that was meant to be graceful, but didn't really look that way.

Just when his sanity was about to crack, Franken had an idea. "Hey Marie, do you know what they're talking about in there?"

The girl stopped. "No…"

Franken grinned sadistically and chuckled. "Then let's find out, shall we!" He scooted over to the door and pushed his ear to the surface. Carefully, he listened to the women's conversation. But with Marie panicking in the background, he only caught certain words.

"Oh, I see…maybe we should…yeah that would…do you mind if that happens…she'd love it…he's a bit shy…my goodness…you mean the doctor…he's not well…"

Franken scowled. All he heard was bits and pieces of women's chitter chatter rather than any useful information. They were catching up. Maybe the principle was his mother's old friend of something. But she looked a lot older. Um, long lost past babysitter?

"Franken, are you sure you should listen?" Marie sounded worried. "I don't want you…I mean, I don't want to get into any trouble with my grandmother."

"Grandmother?" Franken repeated mockingly. "What are you, a Victorian? I could care less about getting into trouble. Don't you think I person had a right to know if another person is talking about them when they're not around? My mother and your grandma are _gossiping_."

Marie looked down at her feet. "If you put it that way, I guess you do have a right to know, but still…they wanted us to stand out here for a reason. It must be important."

"Important my butt," huffed Franken. "Didn't I say that they were _gossiping_?"

"You did…" Marie blinked away a tear. "I… I'm sorry I just don't want anything to happen to you…Franken." She reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly pushed him away from the door. "We shouldn't disobey our elders."

Franken simply stared at Marie in confusion. Wasn't she curious about what they were talking about? Of course she was, but still she kept trying to prevent him from listening. Well, it was just gossip after all—nothing new. It wouldn't hurt to satisfy the girl's craving for "justice" at all. He smirked.

"Alright then, I'll play by your rules for today." He took several steps, putting even farther away from the door. "Happy now, Marie?"

Marie blinked in surprise then a smile lit up on her face. "Come on," she cried. "Let's go play hopscotch or something?"

Franken froze and hung his head. "Eh, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not going that far."

"Awwww man!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So, how was your time with Marie?"

Hiroko smiled down on the shivering Franken, who eyed her viciously and bared his teeth. She sighed and shook her head. "Oi, not so good I see. Oh well, you never have been one to get along with others kids."

Franken crossed his arms over his chest and gave a nod. "Yeah, and that's how it'll stay." He was almost pouting, which was rare for him. That girl had dragged to hell and back while forcing him to play various games such as hopscotch, jacks, jump rope, the list went on. He gave another shudder and snuggled down into his seat. He was grateful that he had come out alive.

"Oh! Franken! Guess what?"

"What?"

Hiroko grinned. "The principle and I made arrangements for you and Marie to be in the same class! And your first day of school is tomorrow!"

Franken buried his face in his hands and began to cry.

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I've been busy watching Slayers and doing schoolwork! This chapter was very soft, but don't let it mislead you. Some little things have to happen before the big things! So Franken met Marie. I just felt like doing that. Sadly, she won't be here too long. Oh well Marie, at least you're getting some time in the story. Thank you hiddenlotuslee and DrTed for the kind reviews! They mean a lot to me! One last thing, we'll be hitting the ten thousand word mark soon! Hooray!~LOVE, TeenageNeko. _


	8. Chapter Seven

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Seven **_

He was short with gray hair and yellow-green eyes. His clothes were pure white—decorated with stitches and his face was emotionless. But I could still sense the madness in this child. It burned brightly like a flame, I suppose.

Pardon the late introduction, but my name is Maxwell. I'm a representative and scientist from Death Weapon Meister Academy. We'll just call it DWMA for short, I suppose. Shinigami-sama has been on the lookout for new Meisters; recently we're been short and that just won't do, I suppose.

This child, Franken Stein, is our best bet. While he may be quite mentally unstable, he is also very incredibly smart. Putting his mind to work and keeping him busy with full hands might keep him out of trouble. It also might lower his madness if we're lucky. The only problem is that if he were to come into direct contact with the Kishin… No, that wouldn't happen, I suppose. Shinigami-sama sealed the demon away.

Back to the subject, I'm standing outside of his classroom now, watching him. He doesn't seem to have a problem controlling himself around other children. And as expected, his knowledge is remarkable. I can't say anything to him, and that really pounds me down as a scientist. My assignment is to observe in the distance.

Oh, he's on the move. It must be lunch, I suppose. I guess this is a good time to call Shinigami-sama and report what we have so far. So please go and grab a snack or something. This may take awhile. You see, we're both quite chatty, I suppose.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Oi, Shinigami-sama, are you sure about this? Contacting his family so early? Shouldn't I talk to him directly first? What, no, w-why? Oh. I guess I see where you're going, I suppose. Thank you Shinigami-sama."

Maxwell let out a sigh, pocketing his phone and strolling towards the target. With a cough, he ran a hand through his hair and put on a smile. He had to make the best presentation possible.

The target and his mother were turning to leave; now was his chance! Quick like a cat, he worked his way through the crowd of parents, children, and teachers. He waved his arms and gave a shout to gain the pair's attention. "Hey there, Miss Stein, I need to have a word with you, I suppose!"

The woman blinked, turned around, and pointed to herself with a frown. Maxwell nodded eagerly and skipped dramatically over. With another intelligent sounding cough, he held a hand out and gave a happy nod.

"Hello there Miss Stein, my name is Maxwell. I'm from Death Weapon Meister Academy—DWMA for short, I suppose. May I please have as little as a minute of you and your son's time?"

The woman looked slightly confused, but nodded. "Uh, yeah, we aren't doing anything tonight so I don't see why not."

"Excellent," Maxwell said happily, eyes squinted in a tight smile. "Shall we go somewhere to sit down and talk?"

Miss Stein nodded and motioned for her son to follow. She smiled politely and finally took Maxwell's extended hand. She shook it heartily. "Indeed, thank you Mister Maxwell! We're hopping schools at the moment—just trying to see what works. We're always open to new suggestions!"

Maxwell took a seat and smiled. "I'm very glad to hear that! Now, before we go any deeper in this conversation, I must warn you that I may need to ask some personal questions. You have all the right to refuse to answer them, but it would help if you did, I suppose." He laughed nervously and looked around to make sure they were alone.

Miss Stein noticed. "Is something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"No," Maxwell reported. "Just looked around for…you know, People, I suppose."

"I…suppose," Miss Stein echoed quietly.

"Now then, first of all, I must address your son's condition. This is one of the personal questions. Now, I may look like a normal teacher," he motioned to his suit, "but I am also a highly skilled scientist, and I am also an expert on madness."

As soon as the word left his mouth, both Franken and his mother were wide-eyed, but more-so Franken, whose jaw dropped a little to accompany the wide eyes.

"Y-you know about the madness?" Miss Stein asked with a surprised and slightly terrified expression. "P-please, from now on just call me Hiroko. And also, just…what do you know about the madness that my son has?"

"Lot's, I suppose," Maxwell stated with a nod. "I know quite a lot from studying it over the years. I've seen it mild and I've seen it wild, you know, the average amount of madness in a child your son's age is-"

"One half," Hiroko finished grimly.

Maxwell blinked, taken by surprise. "Y-yes, that's exactly right. Say, how do you know that? The madness isn't a worldwide thing nor is it ever put in the public."

Hiroko sighed sadly. "I guess you could say a friend of mine has a father who had been affected by the madness as well. He's on the edge. My son had an attack when we went to visit them."

"Really? Just how long ago was it?"

"A little over a week."

"I see, could you tell me more?" Maxwell was deep into the conversation. It was heating up. He liked it when it heated up. That's when it'd get even more interesting. All he had to do was give it a nudge and it'd take off. "I guess I'm curious, I suppose."

Hiroko shook her head. "No, not with Franken here."

At the mention off his name, the boy scowled. "I can hear you, you know. I am sitting right next to you, you idiot." He rolled his eyes and gave an even louder scowl. The kind of scowl that indicated self-pity.

"Well, am I ever sorry," laughed Maxwell, eyes narrowing with excitement. He shook his head. "Now, let's get back to business, I suppose. I'll leave a brochure for the place with you and after looking it over and doing a bit o' thinking, you can give us a call later and register."

"You know," Franken said suddenly. "You seem awful eager." He eyed Maxwell suspiciously. "This isn't an ordinary school, is it? You yourself said that the madness is mostly kept hidden from the public, so why would you know?"

Maxwell smiled in an almost sinister way. "I can't tell you that," he said, still grinning. "Franken-dear, you are right, DWMA is indeed a very special school. That's just the reason that I can't tell you anything else about it. The madness inside you wants to know, right? That's because it's afraid. It knows what goes on at the DWMA!" Without even intending, Maxwell had jumped out of his seat and pointed a finger at the trembling Franken. Hiroko sat in the background of everything, looking slightly scared.

Maxwell shrugged the woman's fear off and looked Franken deep into the eye. _I can heal you, Franken. You'll be free of this madness, I suppose. Just trust me… _He held a hand out and gave a gentle smiled. "Franken, think about it-"Maxwell cursed under his breath. The boy, who was less than half his height, had lunged forward and tackled him onto the ground. He began to curse even louder when a fist was brought down on his face.

Franken was in furry. His brow was twisted fiercely and his eyes had widened—making the still shrinking pupil's look even small in the sea of white. With a crackling roar, he straight out struck Maxwell without punching or slapping—it wasn't thought out and it wasn't human. He continued to strike Maxwell's face until a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back.

"Franken!" yelled Hiroko, grip tightening on her raging son. "That's enough!"

Maxwell sat up, eyes still following the squirming Franken. He steadied himself and froze. A minute later he coughed up a mixture of blood and saliva. _That really is something,_ he thought. _I suppose…_

Meanwhile, Hiroko was struggling to hold Franken down. The boy's meltdown was twice as violent as it had started out; he was now doing anything that would cause his "opponent" pain—kicking, biting, scratching, slashing, striking, squeezing, ect.

Hiroko screamed when he managed to get a hold of her wrist; nails dug into her flesh and drew blood—her own blood. She watched in horror as it dripped down onto the ground. "F-Franken how could-"This time it was his neck—it was gripped tightly. "F-Franken p-p-please, y-you're…" She couldn't even speak it hurt so badly.

It was at that moment Maxwell recovered and tore Franken off of Hiroko. He grabbed the boy's arms and shoved them behind his back. "You know," Maxwell growled through gritted teeth. "I hate it when woman are harmed for no reason. Snap out of it."

Eventually Franken stopped squirming, but now he was just being motionless, staring at Hiroko and Maxwell with frightened eyes.

Maxwell clicked his tongue. "Oi, this isn't going to be easy to fix. I'm pretty sure that he's in shock. I should go take you to see Shinigami-sama, I suppose." He threw Franken over his shoulders and motioned for Hiroko to follow him. "We'll take my car. Sorry about this, but Shinigami-sama is the only one that can help him now."

Hiroko nodded, fingers exploring the scratches on her wrist. She was almost in shock herself.

Maxwell cursed silently as he tucked Franken in with a seatbelt. His mouth opened in surprise when Hiroko seated herself in the back with her son and began to stroke his face. It was surprising, but touching. "I really do hope that Shinigami-sama can help you. Then again, whatever happens if for the best…I suppose."

**|OMAKE|**

"Hey there Maxwell, could you get any more boring!"

Maxwell stuck his tongue out at the random DWMA teacher.

"You know, this is an anime after all, why not dye your hair or get a piercing? You look really generic! And you might die at the end…that tends to happen to the generic characters. Oh, and also, I'm beginning to suspect that you're a Gary Sue."

Maxwell sighed. "Well, fine then…what should I do?"

"Hmmm, now that I think about it, you really don't seem to need a piercing or wild hair. How about a catchphrase?"

Maxwell nodded. "I suppose I like the sound of that."

"Wait… That's it! Say that again!"

"Um…say what again?"

"That thing!"

"Um, I suppose…I like the sound of that?"

"YES! I SUPPOSE! Somehow that's perfect for you~!"

Maxwell stroked his chin. "Wait then… If catchphrases are such a great thing, shouldn't Franken have one? I mean, he is the main character."

"Naw, he already has weird hair and eye color. And you just wait till he gets older! He'll gain a very interesting head piece."

Rather than listening to the random teacher, Maxwell was imagining Franken saying some sort of catch phrase while doing a weird Finnish dance.

"Blood n' guts!"

"Ima' dissect you now!"

"Raccoon testicles!"

Maxwell turned around and smiled—complete with sparkles. "Well," he asked random DWMA teacher. "What do you think?"

"Uh...you just stick with yours, okay?"

_A/N: -facepalm- It's about time we got to this. Sorry about the wait guys! And about Maxwell, he'll be a bit of a mentor for Franken-dear. But not just in science...I'm thinking he might turn out crazy himself. Thanks for all the support and reviews! Also, there's a Gintama reference in the omake. If you find it I'll give you the internet. On a final note, feel free to voice your options of OCs, grammar, ect. I need all the critique I can get. Till next time!~LOVE, TeenageNeko._


	9. Chapter Eight

_**In the Beginning: Chapter Eight **_

"Shinigami-sama, it's an emergency! The child, he…" Maxwell blinked. "Sh-Shinigami-sama, are you listening?"

Hiroko blinked in surprise. Her shock from Franken's little episode had worn off, but now she was beginning to feel faint again. It was a person in a costume, right? Just what was the DMWA? Were they delusional or something? After all the stress building up, she raised her voice: "Listen, I don't what's going on, but help my son Shinigami!"

Maxwell sighed and looked at her with drooped eyebrows. "Please Hiroko, its Shinigami-_sama_."

"No problem Maxwell!"

Hiroko gasped at the voice coming from the costumed man. Rather than being scary like the mask he wore, it was loud and goofy—almost comforting. She smiled and took a step forward. "Shinigami-sama, my name is Hiroko Stein, please help my son… He's always been…not quite right in the head, but recently it's been horrible…" She bit her lip, eyes wandering down to her feet. "It's the madness, isn't it? Or so I've been told." Her final words were shaky and quiet.

There was a long silence before Shinigami-sama let out a laugh.

"Now, now," he said. "No need to be so down, of course he can be helped." For a moment he turned serious. "He can't be cured, but he can be helped."

Hiroko nodded quickly. "Yes sir, thank you."

"Maxwell," Shinigami-sama said cheerfully. "Go find a place for these two to stay for the night. Hiroko, you come with me. As you could've guessed, we do need to talk."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Now, can you tell me how long this has been going on?"

Hiroko smiled sadly. "Well, Franken had always been quiet and a bit different when you compared him to most children, but my husband and I had been fine with it. I guess you could say it started when he was around three—almost four. You see, we had a puppy named Elizabeth, and it passed away near his fourth birthday. It kind of scared me… The way Franken just acted like nothing happened—like the live of a living creature didn't matter."

"One night I heard a shoveling noise in the backyard. So, thinking it was buglers or something, I put on my slippers and crept down to look. I was shocked to find Franken crouched in the dirt with the body of our dead dog in his arms…and he was just hugging it and smiling. From then on he had a fascination with dead things."

Hiroko gulped. "Anything dead, from mice, squirrels, dogs, cats, anything he could find. At one point when we moved his bed so I could fit a dresser in that spot, we found a pile of dead animals—they were drained of their blood. About a year after that he began to get fascinated with dissection and began to practice on mice. "

Shinigami-sama spoke up. "Now, has this been continuing since now?"

"Yes," Hiroko said with a nod. "Recently I found a cat shoved under my bed. It was alive, but all four of its limbs were broken. I will admit though that it doesn't happen as much as it used to."

Shinigami-sama pretended to hold his nonexistent nose in a mock-gesture while chuckling softly. "You know, Hiroko, I never did understand the world's fascination with death and dying. Being a Shinigami, I don't believe I'll die for quite awhile and then…my son will just have to take my place."

The 'Shinigami' said the last sentence with great affection, making Hiroko feel like she and the costumed man might have something in common. But did he really believe that he was a Shinigami…? A Shinigami as in a God of death…? She yawned loudly, jaws opening wide.

"My, my, don't you seem to be tired."

Hiroko rubbed her eyes. "Y-yeah… I didn't get much sleep last night…and it is kind of late, so…"

"I do see, dear," Shinigami-sama cut in. "I just need to ask one more question tonight, and then you can run off and go to bed."

"W-what do you need know?" Hiroko asked quietly, beginning to feel cold again. Not cold as in shivering, but cold as in afraid. But what was she afraid of? Just what was making her feel so paranoid? Was it the…Shinigami that stood before her with the eyeholes on his mask narrowed?

"Hiroko dear, do you think madness could possibly be…contagious? And also, forgive me for asking more than one question, but why isn't your husband looking for you?"

Hiroko didn't even open her mouth.

"Do tell, does he work nightshifts? Does he even work at all? Does he have a bad relationship with your son?" The Shinigami's face darkened. "You do know that the worse the relationship, the more likely Franken is to-"

"**SHUT UP!" **

Hiroko dropped down to her knees. "I know my son isn't sane and I also know that he wouldn't hesitate to end another human's life. I know this, but I don't care at all. My son can just send him to hell for all I care, he deserves to die!"

.

.

.

"Do you really think that, Hiroko? Honestly Hiroko, are you even going to let yourself think that? Keep acting like that and your madness bar will rise higher than your son's. To think 'I want to kill' and 'I want to dissect' are different, Hiroko. Have a good night."

He left her in the room alone, a single woman drowning in her twisted feelings.

**|OMAKE|**

Franken slowly opened his eyes with a groan. He sat up and wiped sweat and...blood off of his forehead. With the felling of deja vu running through his mind, he stood up and looked around carefully, not knowing what to except. He gasped as he saw...the weird man from before sitting in what looked to be one of those office chairs that could spin.

The man, Maxwell, had one leg pulled up to his chest and was using the other to push of the wall, causing the chair to spin in circles. "Whee, I suppose," he said with no real excitement.

Franken took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The man-child in front of him continued to spin.

"Oh, Franken, you're awake." Maxwell pushed off of the wall with both feet and flew past the surprised Franken. He zoomed through the open door, through the hallway, and down a long flight of stairs. He crashed at the bottom and coughed slightly. "Oh, I do suppose that I've broken a bone."

Franken merely let his mouth open slightly. "T-that...looks like...fun!" He snatched the chair from the bleeding Maxwell and let his inner child throw a party.

_A/N: Hey guys! Guess what? I actually decided to update! YAY! The omake and last few paragraphs of the actual story were rushed so just correct me if somethings wrong. Also, DONDAKE! lololol Gintama reference. You now know where mister Stein gets one of his famous habits from._


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